We published a couple of videos on mobile feedback for mystery shopping and brand audits a few years ago. While the technology may have changed — mobile phones have better cameras, you can slip them in your pockets, and we’ve even got some video spyglasses we use on some of our shops — the principles are still the same: mobile feedback is a great way to get immediate, real-time feedback from your customers.

You can send them a text survey as they pay their bill, and give them two or three very short questions, as well as a chance to leave comments. Your customers can take photos, respond to surveys, and even leave voice comments. It’s even a good way to get someone to make a complaint that you’ll hear directly, rather than expending most of their angry energy on Yelp or Google Reviews.

When we first developed the mobile feedback program, smartphones were just starting to enter the market, and a lot of people were still using flip phones or “dumb phones.” But the newer technology lets them do so much more.